The In-Dept Study of the Bible
Samuel 06
1 Yahweh’s ark was in the country of the
Philistines seven months.
2 The Philistines called for the priests
and the diviners, saying, “What shall we
do with Yahweh’s ark? Show us how we
should send it to its place.”
3 They said, “If you send away the ark of
the God of Israel, don’t send it empty; but
by all means return a trespass offering to
him. Then you will be healed, and it will be
known to you why his hand is not removed
from you.”
4 Then they said, “What should the trespass offering be which we
shall return to him?” They said, “Five golden tumors and five
golden mice, for the number of the lords of
the Philistines; for one plague was on you
all, and on your lords.
5 Therefore you shall make images of
your tumors and images of your mice that
mar the land; and you shall give glory to
the God of Israel. Perhaps he will release
his hand from you, from your gods, and
from your land.
6 Why then do you harden your hearts as
the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their
hearts? When he had worked wonderfully
among them, didn’t they let the people go,
and they departed?
7 “Now therefore take and prepare yourselves a new cart and two milk cows on
which there has come no yoke; and tie the
cows to the cart, and bring their calves
home from them;
8 and take Yahweh’s ark and lay it on
the cart. Put the jewels of gold, which you
return him for a trespass offering, in a box
by its side; and send it away, that it may go.
9 Behold, if it goes up by the way of its
own border to Beth Shemesh, then he has
done us this great evil; but if not, then
we shall know that it is not his hand that
struck us. It was a chance that happened
to us.”
10 The men did so, and took two milk
cows and tied them to the cart, and shut up
their calves at home.
11 They put Yahweh’s ark on the cart,
and the box with the golden mice and the
images of their tumors.
12 The cows took the straight way by the
way to Beth Shemesh. They went along the
highway, lowing as they went, and didn’t
turn away to the right hand or to the left;
and the lords of the Philistines went after
them to the border of Beth Shemesh.
13 The people of Beth Shemesh were
reaping their wheat harvest in the valley;
and they lifted up their eyes and saw the
ark, and rejoiced to see it.
14 The cart came into the field of Joshua
of Beth Shemesh, and stood there, where
there was a great stone. Then they split the
wood of the cart and offered up the cows
for a burnt offering to Yahweh.
15 The Levites took down Yahweh’s ark
and the box that was with it, in which the
jewels of gold were, and put them on the
great stone; and the men of Beth Shemesh
offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices the same day to Yahweh.
16 When the five lords of the Philistines
had seen it, they returned to Ekron the
same day.
17 These are the goldentumors whichthe
Philistines returned for a trespass offering
to Yahweh: for Ashdod one, for Gaza one,
for Ashkelon one, for Gath one, for Ekron
one;
18 and the golden mice, according to the
number of all the cities of the Philistines
belonging to the five lords, both offortified
cities and of country villages, even to the
great stone on which they set down Yahweh’s ark. That stone remains to this day
in the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh.
19 He struck of the men of Beth Shemesh,
because they had looked into Yahweh’s
ark, he struck fifty thousand seventy ofthe
men. Then the people mourned, because
Yahweh had struck the people with a great
slaughter.
20 The men of Beth Shemesh said, “Who
is able to stand before Yahweh, this holy
God? To whom shall he go up from us?”
21 They sent messengers to the inhab- itants of Kiriath Jearim, saying, “The
Philistines have brought back Yahweh’s
ark. Come down and bring it up to
yourselves.”